Arthur Kirkland is a young lawyer who realizes early on in his career that whatever he learned in school is different in real life. When we first meet Arthur he seems eager to help his clients. He soon realizes the legal system, as it's practiced in the court room, depends on who is judging the case, as there appears to be jaded judges who are blind to the justice he is seeking for his clients.
This 1979, directed by Norman Jewison, and based on a screen play by Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin, offers another look at the way our legal system works.
The young Arthur clearly gets his fill of what is wrong with the system early on as he sees an innocent man go to jail for something he didn't do. That same man, plays a pivoting role in the story when he becomes so frustrated that he can't take it anymore. The same goes for the black cross dresser, who puts his trust in Arthur, only to feel betrayed when Arthur sends a colleague to defend him, but obviously, that lawyer couldn't care less what happens to the poor man.
The film is engrossing because of the work of a young, and eager, Al Pacino, who as Arthur Kirkland, is basically, the whole movie. Mr. Pacino, under Mr. Jewison's guidance did a wonderful job in getting under Arthur Kirkland's skin. This was one of the best performances this talented actor gave early in his career.
The rest of the cast shows some actors that went on to bigger and better things. Craig T. Nelson, Christine Lahti, Jeffrey Tambor, Domnenic Chianese,and Larry Briggman, made good contributions to the success of the film. Some veteran pros like Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strassberg, Sam Levene, are also showcased in the film.
"And Justice for All" is a satisfactory film worth a look because of Norman Jewison and Al Pacino.
This 1979, directed by Norman Jewison, and based on a screen play by Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin, offers another look at the way our legal system works.
The young Arthur clearly gets his fill of what is wrong with the system early on as he sees an innocent man go to jail for something he didn't do. That same man, plays a pivoting role in the story when he becomes so frustrated that he can't take it anymore. The same goes for the black cross dresser, who puts his trust in Arthur, only to feel betrayed when Arthur sends a colleague to defend him, but obviously, that lawyer couldn't care less what happens to the poor man.
The film is engrossing because of the work of a young, and eager, Al Pacino, who as Arthur Kirkland, is basically, the whole movie. Mr. Pacino, under Mr. Jewison's guidance did a wonderful job in getting under Arthur Kirkland's skin. This was one of the best performances this talented actor gave early in his career.
The rest of the cast shows some actors that went on to bigger and better things. Craig T. Nelson, Christine Lahti, Jeffrey Tambor, Domnenic Chianese,and Larry Briggman, made good contributions to the success of the film. Some veteran pros like Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strassberg, Sam Levene, are also showcased in the film.
"And Justice for All" is a satisfactory film worth a look because of Norman Jewison and Al Pacino.